Ann Romney woos Ohio women

Ann Romney stopped near Easton yesterday with a handful of friends and the clearest of purposes: winning over the elusive female vote for her husband.

Jessica Wehrman, The Columbus Dispatch

Ann Romney stopped near Easton yesterday with a handful of friends and the clearest of purposes: winning over the elusive female vote for her husband.

Polls throughout the campaign have shown President Barack Obama leads among female voters, but a Quinnipiac Poll released on Wednesday indicated that the gender gap was narrowing in swing states Florida and Virginia. But in Ohio, where the poll gave Obama a 50 percent to 45?percent lead over Mitt Romney among all voters, likely female voters back Obama 56?percent to 39 percent.

Mrs. Romney, in an emotional speech at the Aladdin Shrine Center, appealed directly to female voters.

“What I’ve heard and what has been etched in my heart have been the pleas of women,” she said. “ Women have been coming up to me and saying, ‘Please help.’ Women have been saying to me, ‘We’re hurting.’??”

She said she had just met a woman in Des Moines, Iowa, who had been out of work for a year and a half and who was giving blood to put food on the table.

“These things you cannot forget,” she said. “These are voices you can’t get out of your head. ... The only thing I can tell them is that help is on the way.”

Her stop was one of four yesterday — she also visited Heath, Wadsworth and Strongsville. She noted that yesterday was her last day campaigning without her husband. She’ll join up with him for a rally in West Chester tonight.

Mrs. Romney’s visit to Columbus started on Wednesday with a stop at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Yesterday, she appeared with Cindy McCain and Jane Portman, the wives of Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Rob Portman of Ohio. Barbara Nicklaus, wife of Jack Nicklaus, also spoke to the largely female crowd.

During her appearance at the Aladdin Shrine Center, Romney reiterated the themes of her speech at the Republican National Convention, telling stories about her husband’s decency and calling him “ an amazing guy.”

“He has so much integrity and so much character,” she said. “I have seen him as a husband, as a father, as governor, as a businessman and as a guy who turned around the Olympics. He has tackled each job with integrity, character, discipline and a heart so big.”

She was well-received by the crowd. Among those who made the trip was Emily Baumgartner of Dublin, who came with a group of girlfriends all wearing “Catholic Women for Mitt Romney” T-shirts.

Baumgartner said she came because of “sanctity of life” issues, though the economy also is important.